In a paper money receiving and dispensing apparatus that performs processing for receiving and dispensing paper money bills, when storing received paper money bills into predetermined storage cassettes or the like according to the type of each paper money bill, or dispensing paper money bills from stored paper money bills, it is necessary to convey the bills in multiple directions. For this reason, in automatic telling machines (ATMs) of banks, automatic vending machines, automatic ticket machines, etc., a conveying direction-switching device has conventionally been used for switching the direction of conveying each paper money bill being conveyed one way from a bill inlet, e.g. between a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.
However, to realize a paper money conveying gate which is capable of switching the conveying direction between two or more directions, a complicated gate mechanism or pathway has been necessary, and hence the number of components becomes larger, which complicates the manufacturing process. To eliminate this inconvenience, there has been proposed a conveying system in which a method of switching back a paper money bill within one conveying path is employed as a measure for simplifying the switching mechanism.
A conveyance-branching mechanism disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-280119 (Paragraphs [0039] to [0052], FIG. 1 and the like) is capable of bi-directionally conveying paper money bills using a first conveying path 24 and a second conveying path 25 opposed to each other, and at the same time conveying a paper money bill conveyed from the first conveying path 24 or the second conveying path 25 into one of conveying paths branched off in multiple directions. In this mechanism, a branching member is swingably provided at an intersection of four conveying paths 24 to 27, and a stepping motor 56 controls a stop position of the branching member, for selection of a conveying path.
Further, a circulation-type paper money receiving and dispensing machine disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-127131 (Paragraphs [0100] to [0104], FIG. 9 and the like) is configured such that a clerk can refill and collect paper money bills from a rear side of the machine, and a customer can insert paper money bills to be deposited and take out dispensed paper money bills from a front side of the machine, whereby the deposited bills are cyclically used for the bills for dispensing. In this machine, for the purpose of cyclic use of bills, a guide member is used which has a rectilinear conveyance guiding surface and a turning direction guiding surface. This simplifies the construction of a three-direction switching mechanism provided at an intersection conveying path, for switching the conveying direction of bills between three directions, and thereby also simplifies the arrangement of paper money-conveying paths.
However, in the conventional paper money processors, in general, the conveying direction is switched by driving gates which advance into and retract from the paper money-conveying paths based on a result of identification of a type of each inserted paper money bill. As a consequence, each gate is capable of switching the conveying direction between only two directions. Therefore, for the guide member to realize the switching of the conveying direction between three directions, e.g. a direction in which an inserted bill is stored, a direction in which an inserted bill is returned from a return slot, and a direction in which a stored bill is dispensed from the return slot, it is necessary to provide two gates and three conveying paths. Therefore, there has been a problem that the number of component parts of a conventional paper leaves processor becomes larger to cause an increase in costs and provide an impediment to the downsizing of the processor.
Further, if the number of destinations of conveyed paper money bills is increased, this further complicates the arrangement of the paper money-conveying paths. Further, it is necessary to arrange conveyance-switching sections according to the number of the conveying paths. Therefore, if it is necessary to detect a paper money bill in the vicinity of each conveyance-switching section or on each conveying path, the whole conveying mechanism becomes complicated and is increased in size, so that not only the costs are increased but also maintenance and inspection become difficult.